Directory display case

ABSTRACT

An illuminated directory is disclosed herein having a case for supporting a plurality of removable strips carrying the names and locations of occupants in a public or private building. The main part of the case includes an outer frame of identical extruded sections constituting the four sides of the case. When assembled the opposite sides of the case form opposing slots which slidably and insertably retain the opposite ends of the removable name strips. The strips are nested together on top of each other in interlocking relationship. Lights are mounted behind the strips on the back of the case for illuminating the names formed on the strip and a hinged glass door protects and covers the plurality of strips.

Cooper [451 Sept. 16, 1975 DIRECTORY DISPLAY CASE [76] Inventor: AndrewK. Cooper, 22635 Flamingo St., Los Angeles, Calif. 91364 [22] Filed:Oct. 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 410,510

[52] US. Cl. 40/64 R; 40/132 R [51] G09F 13/12 [58] Field of Search40/63 R, 64 R, 65, 152.2,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,079,402 11/1913 Cornwall40/141 X 1,359,510 11/1920 Komicker 40/141 X 1,447,918 3/1923 Zacher40/64 R 2,293,106 8/1942 Bourdakofi' 40/133 A 3,270,451 9/1966 Bartlesonet al.. 40/152.2 X 3,419,978 l/1969 Van Ostrand.... 40/63 R 3,707,7921/1973 Mabrey 40/219 3,824,722 7/1974 Maruscak et a1. 40/64 R PrimaryExaminer-Robert W. Michell Assistant Examiner-John H. Wolff Attorney,Agent, or Firm-Roger A. Marrs 1 1 ABSTRACT} An illuminated directory isdisclosed herein having a case for supporting a plurality of removablestrips carrying the names and locations of occupants in a public orprivate building. The main part of the case includes an outer frame ofidentical extruded sections constituting the four sides of the case.When assembled the opposite sides of the case form opposing slots whichslidably and insertably retain the opposite ends of the removable namestrips. The strips are nested together on top of each other ininterlocking relationship. Lights are mounted behind the strips on theback of the case for illuminating the names formed on the strip and ahinged glass door protects and covers the plurality of strips.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENT SEP 1 6 H375 DIRECTORY, DISPLAY CASEBACKGROUND THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to display cases and, more particularly, to a novel displayapparatus for mounting a plurality of removable name strips employinggrooved extruded side sections having opposing'slots cooperating tosupport the strips in an assembly, support a hingable glass door, andretain the various electrical components in a modular unitaryconstruction.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, it has been theconventional practice to provide directories with a case for holdingletters or lettered strips in an orderly sequence. The case is bulky andrequires installation into a wall cavity for mounting and attachment tothe wall. Obviously, construction of a suitable wall cavity andinstallation of the case is time consuming and uneconomical.

7 Furthermore, conventional directories require that the case and itscomponent parts must be taken apart in order to remove or substitutename or lettered strips. Generally, a tongue and groove constructioninterconnects the strips or mounts the strips to the case. Removal orreplacement requires proper alignment of the components so that one willslide or move into connection or engagement with the other component.

Therefore, there has been a long standing need to provide a new displaymeans for holding a plurality of names that may be readily seenregardless of adverse lighting conditions and that is composed ofmodular components cooperating with one another so as to reduce thenumber of parts and ease of assembly and disassembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the above problems anddifficulties are obviated by the present invention which provides anovel display case for holding a plurality of strips so that letteringformed on the strips is readily visible. The individual strips areremovably carried in opposing slots formed in side extrusion sectionsforming these sides of the case while a back panel forms the back of thecase and top and bottom sections, identical to the side extrusion incross section, form the top and bottom of the case. The side extrudedsections further include opposing slots which support a hingable doormeans carrying a transparent panel for protecting the name strips. Thename strips are carried on an assembly with side retainers and atranslucent panel. Illuminating means are carried on the back panel inclose proximity to the translucent member so that light is cast behindthe name strips whereby the lettering on the strips is illuminated andmade visible thereby.

A feature of the invention resides in the forming of the identical sidesections and top and bottom sections as an extrusion so that a one piececonstruction is produced serving a variety of functions. By providingthe extruded sections, assembly and disassembly of the components partsis greatly simplified and the utility of the invention greatly enhanced.

Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention toprovide a novel display case for lettered strips wherein the letters arereadily made visible under adverse lighting conditions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel displaycase or apparatus for removably supporting a plurality of letteredstrips in a removable assembly which includes extruded componentsadapted to retain and support a variety of component parts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel means forsupporting a plurality of name strips on top of one another in anassembly so that the strips give the appearance of a solid panel and yetthese strips are individually removablefrom the assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel extrudedsection or component adapted to support a variety of modular componentswhen a pair of such extrusions are arranged so that openings and slotsformed therein are opposed to one another for retaining the oppositeends of the component parts.

Yet another object of the. present invention is to provide a noveldisplay case for assembly and installation on a flush wall of a buildingso that a plurality of removable name strips are readily visible andwherein the construction includes specially extruded sections forretaining and holding the various component parts of the apparatus.

A further object resides in providing a relatively slim display casethat may be directly mounted onto the exterior surface of a supportingwall.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. The presentinvention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, togetherwith further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood byreference to the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of thenovel display apparatus of the present invention incorporating aplurality of lettered strips carried in a case;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the display case shown in FIG. 1illustrating the perspective door in its open position to expose thelettered name strips therebehind;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the display case shown inFIG. 2 as taken in the direction of arrows 33 thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the leaf spring carried by aside extruded section constituting a resilient means for holding thedoor in a closed position;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a hinge for the door as takenin the direction of arrows 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a name strip employed in the invention;and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section view of the plurality ofname strips and illustrating the method of removing a selected stripfrom the plurality.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, thedisplay apparatus of the present invention is illustrated in the generaldirection of arrow 10 which includes a case mounted on a wall 11 such asin the main lobby of an office building so as to display the names andtitles of the occupants. The names, titles and room number of theoccupants are carried on a plurality of strips such as the stripidentified by numeral 12 lying immediately behind a glass cover 13 whichis partially broken away to expose a portion of the strips. The cover 13is composed of smoked transparent material and is held in a frameidentified in general by the numeral 14 which .is composed of fouridentical extrusion members. The case further includes a back panel 15,a bottom section 16 and a top section 17. To complete the over-allconstruction of the case per se, extruded side sections 20 and 21 areincluded which serve to support the door, the plurality of name stripsand other components of the assembly. The sections are all identical incross section so as to form a rigid outer frame.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 2, the door carrying the protectivesmoked transparent glass 13 is open to expose the plurality of namestrips 12 therebeneath. It can be seen that immediately behind the namestrips, there is provided an illuminating means constituting a pair offluorescent light tubes 22 and 23 which are arranged to provide lightbehind the plurality of strips. A starter 24 and a ballast 25 are ofconventional design and are included in the circuit for controlling theillumination means. These later elements are carried on the extrudedside section 21 as will be explained later. Disposed between theillumination means 22 and 23 and the plurality of strips 12, there isprovided a translucent panel 26 which functions as a sight trap forconcealing the fluorescent tubes 22 and 23 and yet permitting light raysor illumination from the tubes to radiate evenly outward to theplurality of name strips.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the plurality ofstrips 12 are located in spaced relationship between the transparentpanel 13 and the translucent panel 26. The strips are.held in anassembly at their opposite ends in insertable relationship with a pairof elongated retainers 30 and 31 that are of U-shaped configuration incross-section. The retainers are adhesively secured to the surface edgesof panel 26. In combination with an extruded partition 32 a slot isdefined for receivably retaining the upper and lower edge marginalregions of the panel 26 so as to be removably secured to the outerframe. The extruded partition is indicated by numeral 32 with respect toextrusion'side section 20. It is to be understood that the extrusionside section 20 and 21 are identical and therefore, for clarity,extrusion side section 20 will be described. The extrusion comprises abase wall 33 forming the exterior side of the outer frame and integralpartitions such as wall partition 31 extend outwardly therefrom at aright angle. In spaced apart relationship from wall partition 32, thereis provided an integral thickened portion 34 that includes alongitudinal slot that may be employed for receiving screws, bolts orthe like so as to retain the top and bottom sections onto the case.Also, each extruded side section includes a wedge shaped slot such as isindicated by numeral 35 that may be used for receiving other componentsand parts. For example, wedge shaped slot 35 is employed for receiving acoaxial-pivots 36 carried on plates 37 and 39 which the door isrotatably carried. Plates 37 and 39 are mounted in a similar wedgeshaped slot carried on the frame 14 of the door and section 16. Thewedge shaped slot carried on similar extruded side section 21 isemployed for retaining a leaf spring 38 which is more clearly shown inFIG. 4.

FIG. 4 further illustrates that the seat, indicated by numerals 40 and41 at the opposite ends of leaf spring 38 are slidably received withinthe wedge shaped slot formed in the extrusion side section 21. Also, thecase is provided with a pair of reflectors designated by numerals 42 and43 which are angularly disposed between the illumination means and theextruded side sections. Light from the illumination means is reflectedfrom the elongated surfaces of the reflectors 42 and 43 to enhance thevisibility of the letters and names carried on their respective strips12. The side extrusion section also includes a portion rearward of thewall partition 32 .that includes an integral brace having opposingshoulder portions 44 adapted to receive a L-shaped bracket 45 forholding the joining corners of the outer frame extrusion sections. It isto be understood that the same construction is employed with respect toextruded side section 21. Furthermore, the extruded side section is ofreduced width at the rear and includes a flange member 46 providing asupport or retainer for securing the back member 15 thereto. I

FIG. 5 more appropriately shows the hinge or pivot means for the doorand its swing mount on the bottom panel 16.

Referring now to FIG. 6, an enlarged view of strip 12 is shown whereinthe top of the strip is in a V-shaped configuration identified bynumeral 50 while the underside of the strip is illustrated as having awedge shape indicated by numeral 51. Therefore, it can be seen that therespective strips may be nested on top of each other as is illustratedmore clearly in FIG. 7 to eliminate any light leaks between strips. InFIG. 7, strip 12 may be readily removed by manually moving strip 12upwardly to the position shown in broken lines so that the underside ofstrip 12 may be readily grasped and pulled outwardly so that either ofits opposite ends may dislodge from its slidable insertion with U-shapedretainer 30 or 31, respectively. Once the strip has been removed, anystrips on top of it may be lowered to rest on the then upper most stripin the stack.

Therefore, it can be seen that the novel display case of the presentinvention provides a unique manner for constructing, assembly andholding a plurality of name strips so that they may be readily changedand that once installed, they may be made visible for reading purposes,when engraved with the appropriate means and/or other information. Also,the employment of extruded side sections greatly aid in the assembly ofthe device as well as the construction thereof since predeterminedgrooves, slots and walls are formed integrally thereon. When the doorhas been opened, the name strips may be removed as a unit by removingthe top of retainers 30 and 31 from the slot in section 17 and drawingthe assembly out through the opening and then lifting the assembly toremove the bottom of the retainers from the slot in section 16. 7

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appendedclaims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within thetrue spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminated display directory adapted to be mounted on theexterior wall surface in the lobby of a building, the combinationcomprising:

a casehaving a back section,.a top section, a bottom section and a pairof side sections;

a door pivotally mounted between said top and bottom sections along aselected one of said side sections;

said door having a continuous frame extrusion holding a sheet oftransparent material and adapted to occupy an area leading into theinterior of said case;

a plurality of strips removably held in a stack as an assembly betweensaid pair of side sections and each strip provided with transparentportions characterized as indicia;

illuminating means carried on said back section behind said plurality ofstrips so as to radiate light energy through said strip indiciatransparent portions;

said assembly including a pair of retainers carried on a further panelcomposed of translucent material removably carried between said pair ofside sections and said pair of retainers having means whereby saidplurality of strips have their opposite ends removably disposed in saidretainer means;

light reflector means mounted about said illumination means forintensifying the light energy radiated to said plurality of strips;

said illuminating means comprises a pair of fluorescent lights mountedsubstantially along the centerline of said case; and

each of said strips includes a top edge having a V- shaped projectionand a bottom edge having a V- shaped slot whereby respective adjacentedges of said strips mate in a nested, stacked relationship. 2. Theinvention as defined in claim 1 wherein said pair of retainers arecoextensive with said stack of strips and are located in a common planewith said strips and are matingly cooperative with the opposite ends ofsaid strips respectively.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein: each of said sidesections includes a single extrusion incorporating a wedge shaped slotfor receiving portions of said door frame, a thickened portion mountingmeans for insertably receiving retainers holding the end of said strips,and a slot for retaining the edge marginal region of said translucentpanel. 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein: said side sectionextrusion is a unitary structure including a cantilevered rear wall asan attachment member for the edge marginal region of said back section.5. The invention as defined in claim 1 including said pair of elongatedretainers having opposing slots for insertably receiving the oppositeends of said strips so as to constitute an assembly of strips removableas a unit.

1. An illuminated display directory adapted to be mounted on theexterior wall surface in the lobby of a building, the combinationcomprising: a case having a back section, a top section, a bottomsection and a pair of side sections; a door pivotally mounted betweensaid top and bottom sections along a selected one of said side sections;said door having a continuous frame extrusion holding a sheet oftransparent material and adapted to occupy an area leading into theinterior of said case; a plurality of strips removably held in a stackas an assembly between said pair of side sections and each stripprovided with transparent portions characterized as indicia;illuminating means carried on said back section behind said plurality ofstrips so as to radiate light energy through said strip indiciatransparent portions; said assembly including a pair of retainerscarried on a further panel composed of translucent material removablycarried between said pair of side sections and said pair of retainershaving means whereby said plurality of strips have their opposite endsremovably disposed in said retainer means; light reflector means mountedabout said illumination means for intensifying the light energy radiatedto said plurality of strips; said illuminating means comprises a pair offluoresceNt lights mounted substantially along the centerline of saidcase; and each of said strips includes a top edge having a V-shapedprojection and a bottom edge having a V-shaped slot whereby respectiveadjacent edges of said strips mate in a nested, stacked relationship. 2.The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said pair of retainers arecoextensive with said stack of strips and are located in a common planewith said strips and are matingly cooperative with the opposite ends ofsaid strips respectively.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 1wherein: each of said side sections includes a single extrusionincorporating a wedge shaped slot for receiving portions of said doorframe, a thickened portion mounting means for insertably receivingretainers holding the end of said strips, and a slot for retaining theedge marginal region of said translucent panel.
 4. The invention asdefined in claim 3 wherein: said side section extrusion is a unitarystructure including a cantilevered rear wall as an attachment member forthe edge marginal region of said back section.
 5. The invention asdefined in claim 1 including said pair of elongated retainers havingopposing slots for insertably receiving the opposite ends of said stripsso as to constitute an assembly of strips removable as a unit.